Anyone been out to Shipwreck recently?

The topic of my post says it all. Wondering if there has been any improvement (in the past year) to their beach.

Hank:confused:

The topic of my post says it all. Wondering if there has been any improvement (in the past year) to their beach.

 

Hank:confused:

We were there last September and loved it, but I will admit that it's not for everyone. Mitsugirly was on a cruise this past August (2016) that had a stop in St. Kitts. They went to Carambola Beach Club but took a walk down to Shipwreck to see the black sand. Both Carambola and Shipwreck are on South Friars Bay, just on opposite ends of the beach.

I don't think Mitsugirly would mind if I copied the link to her review here for you. I'm hoping this opens to page 41 of her review where her description of Shipwreck, including pictures are located. Her St. Kitts section starts on page 40, in case your interested.

Hope this helps.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2396178&page=41

Yep, I don't mind at all.

Plenty of black sand and the beach was pretty neat, but no changes as far as "more" beach if that's what you mean. It's still pretty much the same with just a row of chairs just back from the water line.

I just wanted to say, that in between ShipWreck and Carambola, we did discover one over beach place...it was open, but empty and the sand in front of it was all black just like ShipWreck. It looked like a pretty neat place to hang out. I'm not sure if they didn't have any business because no one knows about them or what. I would definitely think about hanging out there next time.

Beach in front of the chairs

Appreciate the link and review :). The situation at South Friars has been going downhill for several years and it sounds like the decline continues. The owners of Shipwreck (they do have great drinks and decent food) have been hoping the government would fund a dredging operation to restore the beach....but one should not hold their breath. Sounds like we will need a new beach when we visit in December...but we have not found a worthy replacement. So our Plan B will be to simply stay on the ship (Eclipse) which is actually a great place to be during port days.

Hank

I just wanted to say, that in between ShipWreck and Carambola, we did discover one over beach place...it was open, but empty and the sand in front of it was all black just like ShipWreck. It looked like a pretty neat place to hang out. I'm not sure if they didn't have any business because no one knows about them or what. I would definitely think about hanging out there next time.

 

 

 

Beach in front of the chairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was just reading reviews about this place. Discovery Beach Bar. Gets excellent reviews. Our plan is to park it at Carambola and relax, walk to Shipwreck and Discovery maybe grab a drink or two and walk back. This way we know we have reserved chairs/umbrellas on a wider/deeper beach but can still experience the beach bar scene and check out the black sand.

Hey mitsugirl the place between carambola and shipwreck did it have bathrooms and a place to eat and have some drinks??? Also you you know the name of it and cost of loungers thanking you inadvance for any info

Hey mitsugirl the place between carambola and shipwreck did it have bathrooms and a place to eat and have some drinks??? Also you you know the name of it and cost of loungers thanking you inadvance for any info

Yes, they have a bathroom and yes, they had food and drinks. The name of it is in the picture on the sign (Discovery Beach Bar) and the loungers were the same price as Carambola ($10). On that sign it says: LUNCH: Fish, Shrimp, Lobster by request, hot dogs, burgers, wings and cocktail. LOCAL BEERS: Carib, Stag, Skol. Dinner on Request. Try our Rum Punch. We have Beach Chairs, Clean Restroom and Volley Ball Court. We say have a great day!!!

I just thought it was really strange that there was not one person here. Had I known about it, I would have stayed here!

HERE'S A SUGGESTION...

Go to TripAdvisor and look up this place. 24 total reviews with them ALL rated as Excellent! There's more pictures on there and everyone seems to love it here! :)

Yes, they have a bathroom and yes, they had food and drinks. The name of it is in the picture on the sign (Discovery Beach Bar) and the loungers were the same price as Carambola ($10). On that sign it says: LUNCH: Fish, Shrimp, Lobster by request, hot dogs, burgers, wings and cocktail. LOCAL BEERS: Carib, Stag, Skol. Dinner on Request. Try our Rum Punch. We have Beach Chairs, Clean Restroom and Volley Ball Court. We say have a great day!!!

 

 

I just thought it was really strange that there was not one person here. Had I known about it, I would have stayed here!

Reserve our chairs and umbrella at Discovery Beach Bar for our December trip. Really looking forward to spending the day there. The owner was very responsive, after I contacted him via Facebook. He hooked me up with Liz Pereira tours who is also very responsive, who will transport us to Discovery Beach Bar for $15.00 round trip, including a welcome drink. Will report back after we spend the day there.

Reserve our chairs and umbrella at Discovery Beach Bar for our December trip. Really looking forward to spending the day there. The owner was very responsive, after I contacted him via Facebook.

That's awesome. Please come back and let us know how your day went. I'm really interested in trying this place out next time we are in St Kitts. It really did look like a lovely place.

He hooked me up with Liz Pereira tours who is also very responsive, who will transport us to Discovery Beach Bar for $15.00 round trip, including a welcome drink. Will report back after we spend the day there.

:eek: I guess all I can say about this is good luck and I hope it works out for you better than it did for our group previously. ;)

I was at Shipwreck this past Friday Oct 21 as part of a stop on a tour by Thenford Grey's crew. Like someone said, it's not for everyone. But we absolutely LOVED it!!! No charge to get it (or it was covered in the price of the tour), chairs and umbrellas were free to use and the vibe was very relaxed. Beach was a little wavy that day (actually during the whole week everywhere) and there was some seaweed in the water but nothing that would be annoying at all. Snorkeling was horrible near the shore but a bit to the right (looking at the water) and a bit further in, it got very good. Prices for food and drinks were very affordable. We had a plate of 8 chicken wings, fries (or chips..depending where you're from), a bottle of water and a soda for US$13 which is the winner for least expensive food we saw on the islands the whole trip. I'll have more info on my upcoming review. I would love to come back to Shipwreck next time I go to St. Kitts.

That's awesome. Please come back and let us know how your day went. I'm really interested in trying this place out next time we are in St Kitts. It really did look like a lovely place.

 

I'm hoping this place lives up to my expectations. It does get great reviews. I will report back.

 

:eek: I guess all I can say about this is good luck and I hope it works out for you better than it did for our group previously. ;)

mitsugirly... I really enjoy reading your reviews. You are a great help and your adventures sound so exciting. I did read about your misfortune with Liz and agree it would be very frustrating and disappointing, since we have such limited time in ports and we want every minute to be enjoyable.

I hope she learned something from your experience. I have to give her a chance, she is a fellow Canadian. But trust me...I will hop in a cab if she is not ready to go as promised at 9am.

mitsugirly... I really enjoy reading your reviews. You are a great help and your adventures sound so exciting. I did read about your misfortune with Liz and agree it would be very frustrating and disappointing, since we have such limited time in ports and we want every minute to be enjoyable.

I hope she learned something from your experience. I have to give her a chance, she is a fellow Canadian. But trust me...I will hop in a cab if she is not ready to go as promised at 9am.

I honestly think that it was an issue with the "crowd" that we had...meaning there were just so many and she presented herself as a little frazzled that day and screwed up. My issue was that she didn't want to own up to her mistake and tried to put it off on the cruisers instead when it was clearly her mistake for putting people on the wrong bus. Then of course the fact that the other tour bus group was lied to about the timing and such. It was just unprofessional and I would never think to use her again for that reason.

However, I think you will probably be fine since you aren't a huge group to get things confused. Good luck and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful day! :)

Also, thank you for the nice comments.

Reserve our chairs and umbrella at Discovery Beach Bar for our December trip. Really looking forward to spending the day there. The owner was very responsive, after I contacted him via Facebook. He hooked me up with Liz Pereira tours who is also very responsive, who will transport us to Discovery Beach Bar for $15.00 round trip, including a welcome drink. Will report back after we spend the day there.

Thanks for the tip! I contacted him as well for our cruise in November and his reply was instant! I love that he is willing to arrange transfers for us. :)

mitsugirly's very informative review was just the information we needed to make a decision. I really like the fact that this beach is fairly quiet and laid back but we can still walk to the black sand to see what that's all about.

 

mitsugirly's very informative review was just the information we needed to make a decision. I really like the fact that this beach is fairly quiet and laid back but we can still walk to the black sand to see what that's all about.

When I was there...it was the black sand right there at Discovery. Just saying. :D

I really think it depends on when you go maybe? Because I was also in St Kitts in April and some friends went to this beach (ShipWreck area) and sent a picture and stated "What black sand???" and you didn't really see any. So, I'm thinking it's possible you may or may not see it at either beach.

When I was there...it was the black sand right there at Discovery. Just saying. :D

 

I really think it depends on when you go maybe? Because I was also in St Kitts in April and some friends went to this beach (ShipWreck area) and sent a picture and stated "What black sand???" and you didn't really see any. So, I'm thinking it's possible you may or may not see it at either beach.

Good to know! Either way I'm hoping it's a nice beach day for the kids! Mom will be happy just to get some great photos! lol I'll be lugging the big guns though (canon eos & lenses) since I only have that and my phone. I just can't budget buying a nice underwater camera right now with such a port intensive cruise. Next time!

You've been there, and if I recall you have an SLR too, clearly you're a photo enthusiast. I'll ask you! Should I lug the big camera or is the iPhone sufficient? I'm thinking of the monkeys on the kids shoulders and Timothy hill but I'm not sure what else we'll see that would make me regret not having it? I know for a fact I'll want it in St Lucia.

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Good to know! Either way I'm hoping it's a nice beach day for the kids! Mom will be happy just to get some great photos! lol I'll be lugging the big guns though (canon eos & lenses) since I only have that and my phone. I just can't budget buying a nice underwater camera right now with such a port intensive cruise. Next time!

 

You've been there, and if I recall you have an SLR too, clearly you're a photo enthusiast. I'll ask you! Should I lug the big camera or is the iPhone sufficient? I'm thinking of the monkeys on the kids shoulders and Timothy hill but I'm not sure what else we'll see that would make me regret not having it? I know for a fact I'll want it in St Lucia.

 

 

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Yes, I have a SLR, which I actually stopped carrying on cruises back in 2011 or 2012 I believe. That was once I discovered my point and shoot cameras that do it all. I currently own 2 cameras that I take with me every cruise: Olympus Tough 620 and 830. They take awesome pictures on land, under water, and decent at night as long as you can keep a steady hand or find something to prop it on (like a handrail). I'm perfectly happy with my results using both of those cameras that I don't think twice about carrying the SLR anymore. No multiple heavy lens to carry around and filters and everything else in my bag. Just a simple, small, compact point and shoot. :D

I also like that they have multiple settings on them that does all the work for you...such as a "miniature" setting (which I love) that makes the picture look like a tilt-shift picture.

I think the only time I will ever bring my SLR again is if I do an Alaskan cruise. I will want my 100-300mm lens for that...just in case. :p

Oh, I forgot to add about the iphone...I'm one of those that doesn't really use my phone for pictures unless I'm taking a quick picture to send to someone in text or post a picture on social media when on vacation.

To me, a phone is a phone and used for talking/texting. I don't see or use it as a camera. That's just me. So, I really have no experience with just using a phone as a camera. (Plus a majority of my pictures are underwater and even though you can probably buy a case for the iphone for water, I would never trust it). That's just me. :)

We went to Shipwreck in September and the beach was small but nice and the water was gorgeous! And we loved the restaurant / bar attached. Oh and we didn't have to pay to use the chairs and umbrella because we had had lunch (and plenty of rum punch :-) ) there! I'd recommend going there.

However, what I would recommend EVEN MORE is doing this as part of a Thenford Grey tour (like we did). That tour was by far the best tour we've ever had anywhere!! I simply cannot praise him enough.

I was thinking of going back to Shipwreck in a couple of weeks.

Saw the above pics. OMG. What a change from when we were there.

I was thinking of going back to Shipwreck in a couple of weeks.

 

Saw the above pics. OMG. What a change from when we were there.

 

 

 

WOW!

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Interesting pictures which we suspect were taken at low tide. The problem at Shipwreck (at least it was the problem last year) is that a high tide the beach is just about gone. While the tidal difference is only about 1 foot (between low and high tide) that actually makes a substantial difference when on the beach.

We are planning to get dropped off at Shipwreck while in St. Kitts next week (we've been there before). We are interested in checking out Discovery Beach Bar. Which way do we walk from Shipwreck (facing the water), and how far of a walk is it? Thanks in advance for info!!

Paul

We are planning to get dropped off at Shipwreck while in St. Kitts next week (we've been there before). We are interested in checking out Discovery Beach Bar. Which way do we walk from Shipwreck (facing the water), and how far of a walk is it? Thanks in advance for info!!

 

 

 

Paul

Facing the water you go right. It's maybe a five minute walk. Very nice beach area to hang out on. Good snorkeling too if you're in to that.

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Gctw. Thanks for the quick response! We are planning to take our snorkel stuff with us, as we found it to be decent off of Shipwreck last time. Those ginger wings sound interesting. And of course, the rum punch!!

Paul